If the regular season ended this morning, the New York Islanders would qualify for the playoffs by virtue of having more points, thanks to having played one more game, than Detroit, Columbus, or Philadelphia.
Tonight that will not change but it can get either better or more fragile as they host the Flyers, who desperately need points to stay in the chase. So begins a back-to-back that concludes tomorrow in Carolina, where the Hurricanes have just clinched their playoff spot and hopefully went on a celebratory all-night bender.
Last night’s scores mostly broke in the Isles’ favor, though Ottawa won to leap into a wild card spot and show the Islanders that the Sabres can, in fact, be beaten (and handily, 4-1). The favorable scores included the Penguins losing to the Lightning in regulation (hallelujah!), the Blue Jackets losing to Carolina in regulation (amen!), and the Red Wings and Flyers also having the courtesy of finishing in regulation (Bossy is great!).
With Philly’s 4-2 home loss to the Wings, they are two points behind Ottawa, Columbus and Detroit and will want something from tonight all the more. Motivation should be extremely high for both sides, but that doesn’t stop three guys from chasing one Sabre behind the net now does it?